A file photo of Australian census forms. The Australian Bureau of Statistics has made 14 data breach notifications since 2013 to the information commissioner.
Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has had 14 data breaches since 2013, but it has defended its handling of Australians’ personal information amid privacy concerns over the 2016 census.

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) told Guardian Australia it had received 14 data breach notifications with regard to personal information held by the ABS since 2013.

The ABS has faced criticism from a number of privacy and civil liberties groups over changes to the 2016 census that will involve the retention of Australians’ names and addresses. This will mean that for the first time, the census will retain identifiable information on all Australians for a period of four years. The ABS has said this will allow it to form a “richer and dynamic statistical picture” of the country.

While none of the breaches were related to the handling of census details, a key criticism from groups such as the Australian Privacy Foundation highlighted how difficult it was to secure vast amounts of personal information once it was retained.

All 14 data breach notifications since 2013 were voluntarily made to the OAIC by the ABS, a spokeswoman for the information commissioner’s office said.

“The ABS appears to have taken a precautionary or ‘pro-disclosure’ approach to voluntarily notifying the OAIC of all matters regardless of the severity of the breach, indicating a transparent approach,” she said.

“None of the notifications received related to disclosure or mishandling of any census data, or to attempts by an external party to expose or steal information.”

The ABS’ decision to voluntarily report the data breaches is considered best practice in a legal environment where it is not yet a mandatory requirement.

A spokesman for the ABS said it took its privacy obligations very seriously.

“The ABS continually reviews its processes to strengthen data handling policies and procedures. OAIC notifications routinely result in reviews that further strengthen ABS’ approach,” he said.

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The spokesman said the bureau’s handling of information was audited externally as well as internationally.

“The ABS securely manages hundreds of thousands of electronic and paper forms every year – with more than 9 million forms received during a census year alone. Forms are tracked from the point of collection to secure destruction,” he said.

“The public can be confident that the ABS has stringent policies and vigilant staff to protect privacy and confidentiality.”

The census debate has continued to cause alarm, and some individuals and groups have called for a boycott of the count. Australians who refuse to answer questions in the 2016 census over privacy concerns surrounding the retention of their personal information could face fines.